Love Behind a Closed Door
by Written Colors
Summary: Mikan Sakura has never fallen in love, but when her step brother comes back from America she learns how hard love is, and how much it hurts to hide it - especially when he becomes her math teacher.
1. Unloved Rejector

**I'm really excited to start working on a new Gakuen Alice Fanfiction! Please Read x Review. I'm also open for idea recommendations.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.**

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"What we wish, we readily believe, and what we ourselves think, we imagine others think also."

-Julius Caesar

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**Chapter 1: Unloved Rejecter **

Love was never easy, but for Mikan Sakura love was practically impossible. Yes, she did have parents that loved her deeply, but when it came to dating she had no desire to find true love. She wasn't popular in school, but she wasn't an outcast either. With love letters still being placed in her shoe locker, she continues to decline every one of them, giving her the title "Unloved Rejecter". Though, Mikan was used to this by now and continued her days as usual.

Her brunette hair flowed against her shoulders as she walked in through the front doors. She was already 18, and had a figure of a model. It's not shock that she had admirers, but when it came to popularity Luna Koizumi always took the queen bee spot. The reason for this was because Luna's father is the Principal of the school, making everyone treat her like a queen.

Once Mikan took a step in, she could already feel the stares etching along her sides and back.

"_Can't people learn what privacy is? I don't need to be watched every morning just because love letters tend to keep popping up in my shoe locker."_ she thought in a sigh as she quickly paced over to her locker. _"Please be no love letter, there is a limit on how much guilt I could take with all this rejecting."_ Honestly, at this point Mikan thought someone was putting love letters in her locker as a joke.

Her eyes squinted slightly as she slowly opened the locker, revealing a love letter. A sigh came out of her mouth as she saw grabbed the letter, not knowing if she should read it or just throw it away. But she knew that if she read the letter it would give the sender false hope, and that was worse than a broken heart, or that's what she assumed. As she changed to her indoor shoes she closed the locker and threw the letter into the trash.

"Did you see that? No wonder she's called the "Unloved Rejecter". I wonder why these guys continue to pursue her." a girl said as she quickly backed away as a certain pair of hazel eyes glanced at her. Instead of causing any scene, Mikan simply just ignored the situation.

As she approached the classroom a lot of the students stared at her, while a handful of her friends came over to greet her. "Looks like the heart breaker continues to hold her title as the 'Unloved Rejecter'" Koko exclaimed in a joking manner as he went over to where Mikan was sitting. "Ha ha Koko, real funny." she replied back in a sarcastic tone, making the jokester act out a hurt expression. "Ouch Mikan, hurts me right in heart." Her hazel eyes just rolled at his comment.

Kokoro Yume, Koko for short, is one of the handful amounts of friends Mikan has. Because of her title she tends to scare away a lot of people, but that didn't stop some of them from approaching her. He has brownish-yellowish hair and light brown eyes, which complemented his features. He was also quite the jokester of the class, lightening up the mood with his quirky expressions and phrases. Along with Koko there was another close friend she had, though Mikan still had difficulty figuring her out.

"Hotaruuuu, why are you sitting so far from us?" Mikan exclaimed in a sad tone as she watched her best friend in the back making an invention. "Because idiots like you two distract me from creating anything." Hotaru stated in a stale tone as she continued to work.

Hotaru Imai was her emotionless, yet lovable best friend. Mikan and Hotaru have been together for quite a long time, so long that they're even childhood friends. While Koko met the two in Middle School, Hotaru and Mikan even went to Kindergarten together.

"Ouch—yet again in the heart. I don't think my heart can survive by the end of this year with you two around." Koko said in a joking manner as he placed a hand on his chest. Mikan giggled slightly at Koko's act. She was really glad to have friends like these two.

As the teacher, Narumi, skipped into the room with his signature "dramatic entrance", the class began to laugh as he made his way to the center of the classroom. "Have all of you finished your essays for the story we read last class?" he asked as a lot of the students started to shy away from the scene, freaking out about their missed assignment. Narumi, however, saw this coming and placed a smile on his face. "I will give you guys one more day to work on it, mainly because I'm a kind teacher. But, most of you should follow the footsteps of out star students, Ruka Nogi and Hotaru Imai." he continued to say as he went back towards his desk.

Koko nudged Mikan slightly. "That's Hotaru for ya, always keeping her status and grades up in the A's." he said in a joking manner as Mikan's hazel eyes shifted from Hotaru, and then to Ruka. "Must be nice to be smart…" she said with a sigh as he agreed with her statement.

The class went on as usual, with the same old boring material and boring lectures. As the little brunette began to doze off throughout the class, she started to ponder in thoughts about the love letters, and then to the ways people think of her. She may not show it, but deep down she really disliked owning such a depressing title.

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**At lunch**

"Wow Hotaru, if you keep this up you have a great chance of getting into the high ranked schools!" Koko exclaimed to his emotionless friend as they made their way to an empty table. She simply grunted in annoyance. "It's not that great." she stated in a nonchalant tone as they set the trays down. Mikan arched up an eye brow at the two of them."What's not that great?" she asked as the two made themselves comfortable in the seat.

"This idiot here keeps mentioning how great my performance is in school, though to be honest it isn't as great as it seems. That Ruka kid keeps battling with me for the spot at #1." she said in an annoyed tone as Mikan's mouth opened up. "Hotaru, don't think like that! You're like, the smartest person I know!" she exclaimed as her hazel eyes twinkled towards her best friend. Hotaru stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"Mikan, you know very well that your brother, Natsume, is way smarter than I am." she said in annoyance as she rolled her eyes.

"Mikan has a brother?!" Koko piped up in shock as he paused his eating.

"Step Brother." Mikan interrupted in a cold tone. "Besides, he left my family when I was in elementary school to go study in America. I don't consider him my brother anymore." she stated as she began to stir her food. Her eyes looked down uncomfortably as she began to recall the memories of her brother.

Natsume Hyuuga is Mikan's Step Brother who left her family to study abroad when she was about 14 years old. At the time Natsume was 18 years old, making them have a 4 year age difference. He wasn't just any brother, he was an ideal figure as well. He was good at every sport, every subject in school, he was polite to his elders, and he was really good looking. He had raven dark hair that gave him a mysterious kind of aura, while his deep crimson eyes could probably seduce most women with just a gaze.

Nobody in the neighborhood, and possibly the town, did not know of him. Koko, however, moved to this town after Natsume moved away so he was unaware of him. To Mikan, her brother was someone she idealized as a child, but when he chose to leave her and her family to go to America it broke her heart, making her come to dislike him throughout the years.

No matter how long she waited, he never seemed to return, never called her once, never emailed her once, never tried to contact her at all. She felt so lonely, considering that her parents even got messages from him throughout the years.

A small sigh came out of her mouth as her two friends both looked at each other with slight concern, but decided to not to say anything. After a few moments of silence, Koko thought of something to lighten up the mood. "So, Hotaru, want to help me and Mikan finish up our essays?" he asked with his puppy dog eyes, making her roll her eyes in response. "You're responsible for your own work." she replied as she continued to drink her water. "But Hotaruuuuuuu!" he exclaimed back, making her hit him with her baka gun.

_**Baka baka baka**_

"Ow, what was that for?" he exclaimed as he rubbed his head to ease down the pain.

"For your idiocy. You need to learn to pay attention in class." she said in an annoyed tone, knowing very well that she needs to be strict on him, even though he's her friend.

Mikan watched as her two friends began to bicker at each other, making her smile at the scene. She was glad to have friends like them, especially since they accepted her, even with the unloved rejecter title.

"Hotaru, maybe it would be good for you to help us with the essay. You don't need to explain what to do, just give us advice if we're having trouble." Mikan said as she piped in, also giving her pleading puppy eyes. Her best friend stared at the two for a good 3 seconds before nodding. "Alright fine, just you better be doing all the work yourself." she stated as the two of them began to cheer with joy.

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**After School**

As the three walked into the library they saw Ruka, who was sitting alone by a table near a large window. He had the aura of a smart and goody-two-shoes student. Not only that, but Ruka Nogi was also quite good looking compared to the other guys in the class. Maybe not as good looking as Natsume, but he was almost in par with him. His soft blond hair and beautiful blue eyes give him a foreigner look that leaves a girl in awe.

"Ruka!" Koko yelled out as he approached the boy, making Hotaru face palm and Mikan stare at him in disbelief. "That idiot." Hotari said in a grunt as she joined the two boys at the table.

Ruka looked up as he saw the three of them walk over towards him, startling him slightly. "Oh, hey you guys." he said as he was still trying to figure out what was happening. His face turned red slightly, but quickly changed back to normal. "W-what are you guys coming over here for?" he asked as he tried to avert his glance away from Hotaru, who continued to stare at him.

Koko smiled at his question. "Well, if we have two geniuses here maybe me and Mikan could inherit some of that intelligence." he joked. "Though we also need help with our essays, and what better way to finish it then by getting the two geniuses in the class to help us out."

Both Ruka and Hotaru stared at him for a bit. "I guess it can't be helped." Ruka said as he closed his book, giving off a small smile. "Come sit down." He was quite happy to have at least some time with Hotaru, even if it was for work.

As they all sat down, Ruka tried to leave the seat next to him open as he removed his bag and jacket from it. "You can sit here Hotaru." Ruka offered with a smile, making her look at him in suspicion. She didn't like the idea of her rival offering her a seat. "I think I'll sit over here." she said as she walked over by the seat next to Koko.

His blue eyes gave off a small, sad look as he saw Hotaru walk over there. Mikan watched the whole situation unfold, and smiled in the inside at a thought. _"So Ruka likes Hotaru. Wow, this is quite a combination."_ she thought in her head as she started to remember all the love letters she had received. _"Do all the guys I turn down look as sad as Ruka did at that one moment?"_ Her mouth began to frown as she started to feel guilt.

"Mikan!" Koko yelled out, making her jolt back into reality. "Koko don't scare me like that!" she exclaimed in a slight pout as she gave off a tiny, yet joking, glare towards her jokester friend. "Sorry Mikan, but you didn't answer me no matter how many times I called you. Is everything alright?" he asked with concern filling his eyes. When Koko had said that, Ruka and Hotaru also looked over to her.

Mikan's face started to redden at all the attention, making her play with her brunette hair. "I-it's nothing! Really!" she exclaimed in a slight stutter, making everyone arch an eye brow up. They didn't believe her, but decided not to bug her about it, knowing she wouldn't tell her worries to anyone.

Mikan didn't tell her worries not because she didn't trust her friends; she decided not to tell them in order to not make them worry about her. After her brother left to America, she was depressed for days, leaving Hotaru nothing but worry on her shoulders. After she had recovered from the shock she decided never to let her friends worry so much, because it hurt her to see Hotaru with all the concern filling in her eyes.

Eventually it was almost 6pm, and everyone had to head home for dinner. Luckily, Koko managed to finish his essay but Mikan was having the most difficult time of her life on it. It wasn't because she didn't get it, it was because she had MAJOR writers block.

"I'll just finish this at home." she told them, as they all looked at her. "Are you sure?" Ruka asked politely, making her nod in response. "Yeah, thanks for helping us Ruka."

"If you need any help, just call me up." Hotaru said with a slight smile, making Mikan smile back. Hotaru rarely helps with homework, but when she saw her best friend with a troubled expression, she thought it would be a good idea to help her with her homework to dim down those worries.

After they all bid their good byes, they all split ways and headed towards their house. It was still quite nice and sunny out at the moment, making Mikan's brunette hair look as lively and smooth as ever. As she walked down the path she could hear slight whispering going around, but not just any whispering, a lot of whispering. Her hazel eyes shifted from left to right as she saw many people look shocked, happy, and in disbelief as the whispers were being told around the neighborhood.

"_If the neighborhood all knew about the secret, then mom is bound to know."_ Mikan thought as she decided to just ask her mom about it.

As she reached her house she went up to open the door. "I'm Hom—" and in midst of her sentence she saw a stunning looking guy, taller than her, with dark raven hair and crimson red eyes. Her eyes widened in complete shock.

Her tall, handsome, and successful 22 year old step brother was back at her house.

As Natsume stared at her, he saw how beautiful she had become. "I'm back." he said with a slight smile as Mikan continued to stare in shock. And with that the largest smack was heard.

_**Smack**_

Natsume's crimson eyes widened at the sudden hit to his face, placing his hand where he was hit to comprehend what just happened. "Welcome back _brother_." she said as she sent a glare right towards him.

That was quite the 4 year reunion.

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**Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Read x Review. **


	2. Natsume's Return

**Here comes chapter 2! I love writing forbidden love stories! C: I hope you enjoy! Read x Review. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.**

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"Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them."

-Bruce Lee

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_As Natsume stared at her, he saw how beautiful she had become. "I'm back." he said with a slight smile as Mikan continued to stare in shock. And with that the largest smack was heard. _

_**Smack**_

_Natsume's crimson eyes widened at the sudden hit to his face, placing his hand where he was hit to comprehend what just happened. "Welcome back brother." she said as she sent a glare right towards him. _

_That was quite the 4 year reunion._

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**Chapter 2: Natsume's Return**

"What happened?!" a woman cried out as she ran up to the front door, only to see her daughter upset and her step son injured."W-what is going on?!" she raged on as she dragged the two of them inside. The father was sitting at the dining table in disbelief. "You two, what is the meaning of this?!" he yelled out, demanding an answer.

Natsume looked at the two adults in a calming manner. "I come home and Mikan here slaps me out of nowhere. Is she in her rebellion stage?" he asked as he sat down beside his father. "By the way mother, this is a lovely feast you've prepared." he complemented, trying to get her anger calmed down.

"Why thank you—wait… don't change the subject! I need an explanation as to why you—" and she pointed at her daughter "—would go out of your way to slap your brother after not seeing him for years! Didn't you used to idolize him as a child? I don't get why you'd want to do any physical damage towards him." she exclaimed with a sigh as she placed her hand on her forehead, trying to comprehend all that has happened.

Mikan began to shift her hazel eyes from one person to the next before answering. "Are you kidding me? Are you really asking me why I did this? Do you expect me to come home and ACCEPT the fact that the brother who left out family for 4 years is now back with no notice?!" she exclaimed as she watched her parents, disbelieving the fact that they were easily accepting this.

Her eyes then shifted towards Natsume, glaring at him harder than before. "As for you Natsume, I'm not sure what you're thinking, but don't expect me to just act like your "cute little sister" again like the past after that whole disappearing stunt you did." she stated as she placed one hand on her hip.

His crimson eyes narrowed towards her, and slightly softened. "It might be better that way." he said in a soft mutter, making Mikan arch one of her eye brows up. "Pardon?" she asked, wanting him to repeat what he said, though he simply ignored her request.

"Mother, father, I'll be up in my room unpacking. I hope I didn't inconvenience you." he said in a polite tone before making his way up the stairs. "My, he's become even more of a gentleman." the mother said as she smiled towards her husband. "Don't you agree?" the father nodded in agreement, smiling back at his wife. Mikan, on the other hand, huffed at that situation. "What do you mean "more of a gentleman"? He's become an inconvenience to my life, suddenly popping up like that!" she exclaimed as she threw her hands up in the air.

The two parents looked at her, but only the mother gave off an upsetting look. "Young lady, you're still in a lot of trouble for hitting your brother—"

"—step brother" she interrupted.

Her mother huffed in response. "—and as punishment you'll get your computer taken away for the day." she stated as she went over towards Mikan's backpack and pulled out her laptop. Mikan's face turned into a nervous expression. "Mom, I need my laptop though! I have an essay due tomorrow!" she exclaimed in annoyance, making her mother agitated by the behavior.

"You said you had an essay due today!" she yelled out, making Mikan shy away slightly. She completely forgot that she hadn't told her mother about the essay, and on top of that if her mother knew about her forgetting to do her essay, she'd be grounded for the day as well. She grunted slightly before replying. "It's another essay." she said in the most calming way she could.

Her mother eyed her suspiciously. "Well, if you really need a computer for the essay, why not go ask your brother. Oh, and while you're at it, GO APOLOGIZE for your behavior." she scolded as she went over and placed the laptop on the father's lap. "But—"

"—end of conversation!"

And with that Mikan sent off a glare before heading up the stairs in annoyance.

"Yuka, maybe you were a bit too hard on our daughter." the father said as she grabbed her wrist. Yuka sighed at his response. "I know… but her actions were really unacceptable, no matter what reason it was." she said as she kissed her husband and then went back to her cooking. _"Looks like there won't be a family reunion dinner today."_ she thought in a sigh as she eyed the stairs that her two children went up on.

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**Natsume's Room**

Natsume began to unpack his stuff as he started to recall all the events that had happened since his arrival.

**Flashback**

As Natsume arrived back at his hometown, many of the neighbors started to stare at him in awe, shock, and excitement. "Natsume, is that you? My, have you grown up so fast!" one of the ladies said as he gave her a polite nod. "Nice to see you well Mrs. Imai, how's your daughter doing?" he asked in a polite tone, making her smile. "Oh Hotaru? She's doing fine as always. Did you know her and Mikan are attending Alice Academy at the moment?" she asked as he began to look down. "I… did not." he admitted, feeling quite guilty for not keeping in touch. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought Mikan might have told you? Well, it was certainly wonderful meeting you again, tell your mother I said hi." she said before walking back towards her house.

Natsume sighed. It wasn't that he didn't want to keep in touch with Mikan, it was a more complicated reason. Of course, it was a reason he wasn't planning to talk with anyone about. And even if it gets his step-sister to hate him, he would continue to keep quiet of it.

After a small pause he continued down the road, getting more glances here and there. With most people stopping him to have a small reunion, his arrival at the house was delayed, agitating him a bit. Eventually, after that long walk (or so, that's how he felt—it was only about half a mile in reality), he made it to his house, making him slightly nervous. It's been 4 years since he last came and his anticipation was building up.

He quickly rang the doorbell and waited for a bit before hearing the door click open. "Oh my! Natsume! Welcome home!" Yuka, his step mother, exclaimed as he grabbed him inside the house and hugged him. "You don't know how much me and your father have missed you!" she exclaimed as the father ran down the stairs. "Who's at the do—Natsume!" the father exclaimed in excitement as well, coming over give a small family hug. "We've missed you so much! How have you been?" the father asked as he released the hug. Natsume gave a small smile at the two. "A lot has happened, though before I talk about it where is Mikan? She should hear some of this too." he said.

"Oh, she's currently not here at the moment, but she should be back soon. You could take off your shoes while I go finish up the cooking. Today we NEED to have an amazing feast!" she said aloud as she ran over towards the kitchen, dragging her husband along with her. Right before he was about to take off his shoes he heard the door open in front of him.

"I'm Hom—"

And then all the events started to unfold.

**End of flashback **

He gave off a small grunt as he went to lie on his bed, giving himself a small break. He placed his arm over his eyes as he started to think about Mikan. Natsume knew very well that he had hurt her a lot, but he knew it was for the best. Though when he saw the mature brunette walk through the front door, he saw how beautiful she had become. Only for that moment, he gave himself the permission to think that way.

While in midst of his deep thought he heard someone knock loudly on the door. _"Must be Mikan, only she would angrily knock on a door at this time."_ he thought as he gave off a small sigh. "It's open." he said as he saw the door click open, revealing a really agitated brunette. Her cold, hazel gaze locked onto his face, startling him for a second. "You're the last person I expected. What do you need?" he asked, arching one eye brow up as she walked over towards him as he sat up.

"Give me your laptop." she stated, still pissed off about her laptop getting taken away. Natsume simply smirked. "Who said I'd give it to you that easily, _sister_?" he said as she glared at him even more. She just rolled her eyes. "I said so, now hand it over." she said as she held out her hand, though Natsume refused to move. "Not with an attitude like that. Apologize for slapping me and maybe I'll give it to you." he said as she huffed at his response.

"Look, you know very well why I did it. You should even know it was completely your fault. Why is it that everyone thinks I'm the villain here?" she complained as Natsume just watched her nag. "Mikan, I know what I did to you was harsh, but just be aware that I had a reason to do it." he said calmly as he went over to his luggage to grab his laptop. "Just wait a minute; I'll get my laptop now."

As Mikan waited she went over towards his bed and started to lie down on it, reminding her of the fun times her and Natsume had as children. The smell of his blankets was the same, making her smile inside. As she laid there thinking, her mind began to doze off until she went into a deep slumber.

Eventually Natsume found the laptop, cursing to himself for packing his bag so badly. "Alright Mikan, here's the—" and as he turned around he saw a peaceful brunette haired girl sleeping silently on his bed. He walked over and smiled inwardly to himself as he brushed some of her lose hair away from her face. "Now if only you stayed this peaceful…" he whispered as he watched her smile in her dream. What kind of dream did she have to make her smile like that? Let's just say it had to do with her past memories with a certain raven haired boy. No matter how much Mikan has grown to hate him, deep down she still really wanted him in her life.

"Sweet dreams Mikan." he said softly as he exited his room.

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**The next morning**

The little brunette blinked her eyes a few times before she slowly awoke inside a room that didn't seem to be hers. At first she was startled and slightly freaked out by this, but then last night's events started to replay in her head. She set herself up and itched her eyes until she could finally see a bit more clearly. After yawning a bit and stretching her arms, she shifted her eyes towards a clock which read 8:00 am.

"Oh it's only 8—OH WAIT IT'S ALREADY 8?!" she exclaimed in shock as she scrambled out of bed and ran down the hall, towards her room. "Oh no oh no oh no oh no! I can't be late, no I can't be—urghhhh and I forgot to write the essay!" Today was starting off to be a terrible day for Mikan.

She quickly wore her uniform, tied her hair in a messy pony tail (no time for pigtails today), and ran downstairs, only to see that nobody was home. A huff came out of her mouth as she realized that nobody bothered to wake her up.

"Mom probably said 'Oh, she's an adult now so if she misses school that's her own responsibility' to the other two in the house and told them to leave it be." she said in annoyance as she mimicked her mom's voice.

Quickly, she grabbed her bag and ran out the door, ignoring breakfast.

As she was running town the sidewalks she heard her phone ring, though she decided to ignore it during her haste to school. It continued to ring, and ring, and ring until she finally just took out her phone and—put it on silent. She didn't even choose to pick it up. Her eyes rolled slightly as she noticed it was Hotaru calling her. After having such a crummy morning, Mikan didn't have time to talk to anyone until she was fully out of her temporary PMSing. "What a lovely morning today." she said in a grunt.

And when she thought things couldn't get any worse…

Mikan rushed into the school, getting scolded by a few teachers for running in the halls, and completely forgetting to change into her indoor shoes. "Urgh…" she grunted as she ran back to the lockers, getting scolded even more by teachers for running in the halls, and changed her shoes. But wait, there's more! As she opened up her locker she noticed yet ANOTHER love letter. She began to face palm at the amount of luck she was having this morning.

She quickly took out her phone. "Okay it's only 8:20am, I'm only about 5 minutes late so far." she said in relief as she shoved it back into her bag and dashed towards her classroom. Of course, she got more complaints from teachers for running in the halls. At this rate, she'll probably get a detention slip.

Finally, she made it to the class, slamming the doors wide open. "Sorry I'm la—" and then she came face to face with a pair of crimson red eyes. Her eyes widened at the sight.

"_Oh great."_ she thought sarcastically as she saw the smirk forming on Natsume's face.

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**Now the story is started to get moving. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more, and Read x Review! Also feel free to add suggestions in the reviews. **


	3. Reason to Return

**Phewww ~ I am back! I know it's been soooo long – but now my motivation for this story is back on! I will try my very best to not abandon this story again T_T Please read x review! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice**

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It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.  
\- Tony Robbins

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_Finally, she made it to the class, slamming the doors wide open. "Sorry I'm la—" and then she came face to face with a pair of crimson red eyes. Her eyes widened at the sight. _

"_Oh great." she thought sarcastically as she saw the smirk forming on Natsume's face. _

**Chapter 3: Reason to Return**

Narumi looked at Mikan with a smile as he saw her look of disbelief form along her face. She wasn't sure if her stupidly happy teacher couldn't read the atmosphere, but the next words that came out of his mouth made her want to sink into a hole and hide for the rest of the day. "Mikan, great timing! Maybe you could introduce to everyone, who doesn't know, who this person is." he said as he nudged her to stand next to Natsume. She could already predict that this was going to be the worst day of her life, and the fact that /she/ had to introduce the smirking devil made her face cringe even more. A sigh came out of her mouth before she faced the class, who were all practically in awe of Natsume's presence.

"This is Natsume Hyuuga… my _step brother_." she stated in a cold tone, emphasizing on the word 'step brother', as a lot of the female students squealed at the introduction. Although, as she introduced her brother, she was utterly confused as to why he was in her classroom in the first place. Little did she know, the answer to that would hit her harder than a boulder could. "We have such a handsome math teacher this year!" most of the girls exclaimed as Mikan's mouth widened even more than it already has. Natsume's smirk widened, finding her reactions towards all this quite amusing.

"W-w-w-wait… please do NOT tell me you're going to be my math teacher!" Mikan exclaimed in stutters as she flew her hands up in the air, accidentally dropping the love letter she had picked up from her locker a few minutes ago. "Hm, what's this?" Natsume asked as he went over to pick up the letter faster than Mikan could hide it.

"Oh, I bet she's going to decline this letter too. That's the unloved rejecter for you." one of the girls said as a few of her friends started to giggle at her remark. Mikan rolled her eyes at their insult, completely unaffected by it. These snarky remarks that girls attempt to throw at her have happened way too many times in her school life, so by now she was probably used to it. However, a certain crimson-eyed figure was quite new to this new fact. Natsume's eyebrow arched up as he heard the nickname she was given. "Unloved rejecter?" he asked her, quite amused by the nickname, only to be flatly ignored, much to his dismay.

After giving a slight glare towards her brother she turned around and headed straight to her seat, ignoring the rude stares she's been getting. Not only has the appearance of her brother made things more difficult for her in school, the fact that he has now become her teacher, in her worst subject, has baffled her in so many ways. As she made her way towards her desk, she spotted Koko waving towards her. Quickly, she scrambled towards her desk and gave a weary smile to her friend. "Hey Koko." she greeted the jokester as she sat down. "Yes I overslept, No I'm not bothered by the insult, and Yes that's the 'oh-so-famous' step brother you've heard /so/ much about." she answered before Koko could even ask her the questions. "Wow Mikan, you could already predict what I was going to ask, I'm impressed." he replied with a grin as he went back to looking at the front of the classroom.

"Anyway class, please treat your new math teacher with respect." Narumi piped in as everyone, besides Hotaru and Mikan, said "yes" in union. A lot of the girls seemed to show great interest towards the new teacher, making Mikan roll her eyes at the sight. It was bad enough to have them swoon over idols, but now they're swooning over her brother? This has got to be a sight that Mikan would find very uncomfortable. _"What's so great about Natsume anyway?"_ she retorted in thought as she watched how disgustingly attracted they were to her brother, and how closely they resembled her as a child.

Natsume ruffled his raven black hair slightly before walking towards the center of the classroom. "Please treat me well. I plan to get your utmost respect through the rest of the school year, even if I am a new teacher." he stated in a serious tone, while placing a smirk on his face. A lot of the girls giggled at the remark, while some of the guys looked at him like an idol. I mean, who wouldn't? He was practically the embodiment of 'perfect', and Mikan hated to admit that.

"I wouldn't mind getting scolded by you, Mr. Hyuuga." one of the girls cooed as she gave off a seductive look. Natsume rolled his eyes at the response, trying to keep up a professional look. "Miss Koizumi, please refrain from having these types of thoughts in your head." he stated as she continued to smile, winking at him in response.

Everyone seems oh-so-curious about the perfect prodigy of the town, asking him many different questions. Of course, the main question asked was –

"Mr. Hyuuga, do you have a girlfriend?" Luna, as well as many others, asked. A lot of them were blushing at their question, except for Luna of course. Her confidence seemed to be way too big for what she's got, but the fact that her family had power over the school allowed her to have this confidence without being interfered by other students. Mikan was probably the one, and only, person to go up against Luna – in which ended up in detention on the brunette's part. The power of social anarchy and family connections has made battles with the little queen bee far too unfair.

Natsume watched the class for a second, smirking oh-so-slightly before responding. "I wonder." was all he said, making the girls squeal even more than they did before. Just watching her brother made Mikan scorn internally, sighing in exhaustion as she continued to listen to the constant squeals that the girls made, surrounding the room.

"So noisy." Mikan said in a loud grunt as she shifted her hazel eyes towards her best friend, who glared at her in response. Looks like she was still mad at her.

A small chuckle rolled out of her mouth as she paced her way towards Hotaru, still being ignored. Brushing off her best friend's cold shoulder, she simply sat by her and continued to sigh. "I can't believe he's my math teacher now too." she exclaimed in agitation as Hotaru continued to glare at her, not wavered by her plead of help.

"If you had answered your phone I could have warned you about this." she stated, making Mikan feel quite guilty for ignoring her calls. Her hands clasped together as she showed guilt in her eyes. "Sorry Hotaru." she mouthed back, only to make her roll her eyes in response.

The big news about the new teacher shocked most people, especially Mikan. Of course, she didn't' want to deal with all this right now, since her morning had been bad enough already. So instead she decided to give herself a small nap, laying her head on one of her available arms. A smile formed on her face as she slept comfortably.

Koko looked towards Hotaru, and then back at Mikan, forming his signature smile. "Maybe we should let her sleep this one – it has been quite the day for her." he exclaimed, watching the inventor shrug in response before focusing back on what she had been originally doing.

Who knows how much time has passed, but her two friends thought it would be oh-so-hilarious to let her sleep through a class. Mikan, however, wasn't sure how much time has passed, but she did know for sure that the nudge that kept trying to wake her up was bugging her. "Hnnggg… Koko, just let me relax." she whined, half asleep, though the nudging didn't stop. Out of annoyance, Mikan took her arm and attempted to hit the person, only to get her wrist caught in a grasp. With that she jolted awake while catching her breath, revealing an annoyed big brother as giggles formed throughout the classroom. "Mikan, if you don't pay attention in my class I'll have to give you detention. This is my final warning." Natsume stated in a serious tone as he let go of her wrist, resulting in her hazel eyes sending him a glare in response.

"I believe you understand that you're the _last_ person who's able to talk to me that way." she stated as she crossed her arms. Though the reaction she got from him caught her off guard. His composure stiffened slightly, going unnoticed by the students but not by Mikan.

Rather than a scolding or a remark, she just saw sadness and guilt in his eyes. He looked hurt, and Mikan felt a pang in her heart. _"Why would he give me such a look? That's not like him…"_ she stammered in her head, feeling uneasy about what she had just said. But before she could make any response towards his sudden action, he turned back to the front of the class and continued on with his lesson. Natsume wasn't usually like this, and it worried her to an extent. He was still her brother, even if not blood-related, so the concern is inevitable.

But rather than continuing to ponder through the idea during class, she decided to possibly ask about it later tonight. For some reason her heart ached at his pained expression, but she couldn't quite pinpoint exactly why – rather it confused her and made her head hurt.

Once the class was over, Narumi closed his book and ended the lesson at that. "Remember to review all the notes we discussed in class, and have a wonderful rest of the day my lovely students!" he exclaimed with joy as he skipped out of the room. The day seemed to pass a lot more slowly than it usually did, making Mikan grunt in annoyance. She hated how long it had taken before the chime of the bell surrounded the school, allowing many joyful students to jolt up and run towards the doors for freedom. As usual, she took her time packing her stuff up, but the constant stares that students have now been giving her, at an extensive amount, has been bothering her more than she had anticipated. Her head jolted up and glared at all the students staring, causing them to cower away, but there was one person she wouldn't be able to push away regardless of if her life depended on it. And, thanks to her /lovely/ luck, that one person managed to find a way to ruin her day even after it ended.

That's right; it was none other than Luna Koizumi. Basically she was a grade-A bitch in Mikan's eyes, and controlled most of the student population. Her father, being the principal of the school, gave her the power to get anything she wanted, anything she needed, and manipulation of students, teachers, and grades. The idea of whom Luna was always made Mikan gag at the thought, but lately she's been under a little too much stress to have to deal with one of her tedious queen bee statements.

A sigh of agitation formed out of her mouth as she faced the, currently pissed off, Luna. "What is it now Koizumi? I don't recall doing anything to piss you off –" mimicking a small bow "—your majesty." she stated sarcastically with a scoff, making the blond-haired girl even more agitated than she originally was.

She assumed that her and her 'possy' wanted answers about her 'step- brother' and would try to threaten her for answers if she didn't want to give them any in the first place. With a hand against her hip, the blond pursed her lips into a pretentious smile as she glared straight towards Mikan. Koko seemed to have wanted to run to her rescue, but Mikan simply placed her hand up to signal to her friend that she'd be alright on her own.

"I know what you're thinking, and no I don't need your help trying to get with your brother, I can do that without any help really. I'm here for a different matter." she stated in annoyance as she pulled out the letter that Mikan had found in her locker this morning. Glaring at her straight in the eye, Mikan knew for a fact she managed to steal that somehow. Although, continuing to keep a composed expression, she just shrugged off her gesture. "And, this affects you how..?" Mikan asked as she watched Luna twirl the letter between her finger tips. Her eyes narrowed in before she stopped the letter in between her palms and threw it straight into her face. "You're the reason my first love never happened, and you /dare/ ask how this affects me?! The fact that I have to walk through these halls every day just to watch you gain more and more admirers through these petty little letters agitates me to the core!" she exclaimed in anger as her fists clenched until they turned white.

The posy behind her tried to calm her nerves, explaining how she wasn't worth her answer and time, but Luna was just too stubborn to admit any defeat. Her stance became solid again as she send her pointer finger straight towards Mikan's direction. "Mark my words Sakura, I will make sure the rest of your school year here will be complete hell for you. Maybe then you'll realize how much of a bitch you were in the past." she exclaimed with determination before heading straight towards the door.

Once the storm had cooled off, Koko made his way towards Mikan, asking if she was okay. On the other hand, Hotaru was used to the queen bee's outbursts, and simply watched from the sidelines. A small smile formed on Mikan's face as she faced the jokester, not wanting to worry him any further. "I'm fine Koko, thanks for worrying about me." she said in a light-hearted tone, making the boy sigh in relief. Hotoru, surprisingly, made her way towards where Mikan was standing, and gave a look of slight surprise. "I'm surprised Koizumi hasn't gotten over /that/ yet." she said in an un-amused tone, making the brunette shrug in response. Her eyes looked slightly guilty as she continued to remember her past with Luna. "Well, she has a right to.. /that/ wasn't just any betrayal on my part." she said weakly as Koko continued to look at them in confusion. Before he could ask Mikan let out an "I'll tell you eventually" response, making him slightly frown but nod in response. He respected that they had things that were tough to talk about, but he wished they would confide in him sometimes.

As the three made it out of the classroom, they spotted Ruka, who came running towards them with a huge smile on his face. "Hey guys, I hope you don't mind if I steal Imai for a bit." he said in a kind tone, forming that sheepish grin on his face. The Koko and Mikan duo giggled at his request, while Hotaru simply shook her head in response. "I can't. I promised to help those two idiots –" as she pointed at her two best friends, who gave off jokingly hurt expressions, before continuing "—with their homework so they could catch up in class." she stated, surprised at Ruka's sudden burst of glee form on his face as Mikan stared at her friend in disbelief. _"Since when did you ever help us with anything on your own accord?"_ she thought in shock, but decided to shrug it off and accept the wonderful offer.

Ruka clasped his hands together as his smile widened. "That's perfect; I actually needed you to help out with one of my homework assignments. Your friends can join as well." he exclaimed as a grunt was heard from Hotaru's mouth. It seemed her excuse has backfired her in so many ways, making Koko chuckle at her expression.

Before she could protest against it, Ruka gestured them towards the library, allowing the brunette to gleefully accept the offer that her emotionless friend said on a whim, and happily make her way into the library.

* * *

**In the library**

As the four sat down at a table beside a large window, Hotaru glared at the blond-haired boy as a huff, yet again, came out of her mouth. "Nogi, is this some kind of joke? Why would you need help, being the you're the only person that's fighting with me for the top grade? I'm pretty sure your knowledge is good enough to be able to solve anything." she stated in suspicion as the boy blushed at her sudden question. Mikan and Koko noticed the sudden embarrassment that Ruka had felt, and giggled at his expressions. "I think he really might like our expressionless friend." the brunette whispered to the little jokester, as he nodded in agreement, a grin forming on his face.

A look of defeat formed on his face as his head shifted back towards Hotaru. "I-I kind of needed a reason to get to know you a little. I should have known you'd probably be suspicious about this." he said in a shy tone, rubbing his neck slightly as he tried to cover his embarrassment. Hotaru simply looked at him as if he were an idiot, got up from the table, and left. No word, no response – just left the room. Her two best friends were quite surprised at her sudden action, and apologized to Ruka on her behalf. "I'm so sorry about that Nogi… she can be a little… difficult sometimes." Mikan exclaimed to him in an apologetic tone, making him blush slightly. "I-It's fine, really." he said with a smile, trying not to have them worry. "How about I help you two in Imai's place?" he offered in a sincere manner, making the two jump up in joy. "LUCKY!" they both exclaimed, but quickly hushed up as the librarian gave them a serious glare. "Thanks Nogi, I'll put in a good word for you to Hotaru." Koko said, winking at him in the process.

In midst of chuckles and conversation, they went on to the Ruka 101 tutoring. But, where did the purple-haired genius run off to?

* * *

**In the back of the school**

It was no surprise that Hotaru would run off after figuring out something like that, especially since she found it utterly stupid. She was the type of girl who only thought logically about things, and never considered meaningless things like love. But, there was something else that made her annoyed of that Ruka guy – something that she was still trying to figure out herself.

Sitting by a bench with her hands clutched along her bag, she heard a sudden rustle in the bushes beside the huge Sakura tree, making her jolt up in alert mode. "Stop hiding and come out." she demanded, still staying as alert as she could. The bushes continued to rustle, and to her surprise a handsome man with raven-black hair emerged into sight. A glare formed at the process as she came face to face with her best friend's brother. "Natsume." she stated calmly, acknowledging his presence. He walked over towards Hotaru, making her step back a bit. "What do you want?" she stated in a demanding tone, remembering how hurt he had made Mikan when he went to study abroad in America. Ever since then, she swore to not trust him unless proven otherwise.

Natsume simply stared at her with his deep, crimson eyes, sitting beside the spot that Hotaru was originally seated at. His expression, still nonchalant, simply made a small smirk appear. "I'm not planning to do anything Hotaru, relax." he stated, expecting this response from her. After all, she was his step-sister's best friend, and he's hurt Mikan quite a bit so it's to no surprise that she'd come to hate him – or distrust him – both sounding pretty unappealing. A sigh came out of his mouth as the emotionless girl continued to stand there, unmoving from her position. "I understand that you're upset with what I did to Mikan, but just know I had a reason for it." he stated in a serious tone, looking straight back at her, who seemed to be unraveled by his statement. Curiosity eventually hit the little inventor as she sat beside him, wanting to know the full story. "Why did you leave Mikan then? You do know she was really hurt by your sudden leave – and with the fact that you didn't contact her at all throughout your trip." she stated in anger, remembering how distraught her friend was. "She really admired you as a child, looked up to you, and loved you a lot. The years she spent without you had been terrible for her, and for every moment you contacted her parents and not her broke her slowly." she continued, anger rising in her tone.

His crimson eyes saddened at the statements that Hotaru made, definitely hitting him in the heart. The guilt wavered through his expressions as he looked at her in an apologetic way. His mouth shut close as he tried to figure out how to explain his reasoning, but stopped before doing so. He couldn't tell her, not before he told Mikan. Shaking his head, he simply got up and headed back towards the school with no response. "Natsume! Wait!" she exclaimed in suspicion as she tried to follow him. "Why did you leave Mikan?! Why did you have to put her through so much?!" she yelled out, watching him fade into the darkness of the school. Her eyes stared to the ground, angered by how he had ignored her.

Looking back at the Sakura tree, she recalled the memories of when it was Mikan's 15th Birthday.

* * *

**Flashback 3 years ago**

"Happy Birthday Mikan!" Yuka exclaimed as she happily allowed her daughter to blow out the candles on the cake. However, the little brunette girl seemed to be displeased and unhappy on this particular birthday. The one thing missing on her birthday compared to the others she had was her brother.

Hotaru watched as her best friend kept on a sad expression, knowing that she was thinking of Natsume. Yuka seemed worried about her daughter, but before she could comfront her about it Hotaru ran towards Mikan and grabbed her arm. "H-Hotaru?" she shouted in surprise as she watched her emotionless friend drag her away from the mass of people celebrating her birthday. The constant callings of the parents didn't stop the two from escaping for the day, and the little adrenaline it brought really put Mikan in a more joyful mood.

"Where are we going Hotaru?" she yelled out in midst of chuckles as her friend said nothing in response. Mikan shrugged off her friend's mysterious attitude, and continued to follow her until they made it towards a huge Sakura Tree behind her brother's old High School. A shot of pain reached her heart as another memory of her brother appeared in her head. Every time she was in a bad mood, or something sad has happened to her, Natsume would always take her to this tree to help her feel better. He would reminisce about what he was like when he was her age. They would talk about the hardships he faced, and how this tree was the one place he could run off to and allow himself to forget about all his troubles.

"_Mikan, this will be our little secret, okay? From now on, treat this as your getaway as well." _he had told her on the day she first found out about this spot. She remembered the immense happiness she felt at that moment, hugging her brother.

Now, staring at that tree, slight tears formed on her face. They were tears she refused to show to anyone but her best friend. They were tears that admitted to others that she really did miss her brother. They were tears that begged him to come back, to ask him why he hasn't contacted her, to ask him why he left her. They were tears to get his brother back.

Hotaru watched as the brunette cried her heart out, hugging her as the weak girl clenched the back of her shirt. She could tell Mikan was in pain, and to hold it in for that long made her slightly impressed, yet worried. As she slowly calmed down from all the pain, she gently released her grip from Hotaru and wiped of the excess tears that were lingering on her cheek. A slight chuckle formed from her breath as she breathed in a little. "Thanks Hotaru, I feel a little better now that I let it all out." she said, not wanting to worry the friend any further. Hotaru, showing that she was unconvinced, gave a small sigh of agitation. "I know you're hurt, and I understand that a day won't solve it all, but I want you to know that I will always be here for you Mikan." she stated in a nonchalant, yet sincere tone. With a huge smile, she went over and gave the emotionless friend a huge hug. "Thanks Hotaru, you're the best." she said in a whisper.

Looking back up at the Sakura tree, Mikan went up to it and gave off a sad smile. "Hold on." she told Hotaru as she quickly climbed up the tree, making her best friend shoot a huge expression of worry. Knowing how clumsy her friend could be, she was bound to fall off. "Mikan, get down!" she yelled out, but her stubborn friend refused to listen. Mikan took a rock with her in the process of climbing, and then a minute later was back on the ground. Clapping her hands together she made a huge grin of success. "Okay, lets head back to the party." she said in determination as she walked away, watching her friend scold her with disbelief in her eyes.

She had written something on that tree, something that she hoped only Natsume would find out.

* * *

**End of Flashback**

Hotaru made a small, sad smile at the memory before walking back towards the school. As she grabbed the last of her books in her locker, she looked over to her phone only to reveal thousands of texts from her worried friends. With a slight chuckle, barely noticeable, she thought of how grateful she was to have such good friends. Even if she always acted so cold towards them, she loved them dearly with all her heart.

And with that, she made her way back to her house.

* * *

**At Mikan's House**

Mikan had arrived home a little later than she expected. The tutoring took longer than she had thought, but it was definitely worth it. Ruka was really good with the way he taught others, allowing the two of them to fully understand the material – unlike Hotaru who assumed that everyone was a genius like her. Slowly opening the door, she squinted her eyes expecting to hear a scolding from her parents, but instead heard nothing but silence. Blinking her eyes slightly, she tried to comprehend that nobody was getting angry at her for how late she was, or giving her a mouthful of the definition of a curfew.

"Phew." she said under a mutter as she made her way inside the house, slipping into her home slippers before heading towards the kitchen. As she walked in she came face to face with a worried and annoyed brother. "Where have you been?" he demanded to her, giving a cold attitude to make his statement. A shudder came over her body as she tried to figure out what to respond, before anger waved through her body. "What's with you? You leave for 4 years and expect to come back and become a brother all of a sudden?" she yelled out, giving off a hurt expression. Her fists clenched as she watched Natsume's eyes narrow slightly, trying to respond back in the situation. Before he could, she continued with her argument. "It was YOU who left this house. YOU who never contacted me for FOUR years. YOU who disregarded my feelings like that." she exclaimed, anger ensuing her voice as it trembled slightly. The hurt expression, similar to what he had showed earlier before, plastered on his expression once more. Her body jolted slightly at the emotion he was showing, but tried her best not to waver her anger.

"I didn't mean to hurt you this much." he said in slight guilt, looking at her with slightly saddened eyes. Mikan couldn't believe the words she was hearing. A glare formed on her face as tried to comprehend what he had just told her.

"Then why did you leave to go to America?" she asked in a serious tone, looking straight towards him with determination.

"I can't answer that now." he stated apologetically, angering her even more.

"Then tell me this, why did you choose, now, to come back?" she yelled out, a louder tone than before.

He simply looked at her with an unreadable expression as his deep crimson eyes sucked her in slowly. "Because I realized I didn't want to get married."

And with that, Mikan's eyes widened in shock, unsure of how to react in the situation.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can! I also plan to NOT abandon this story, as it is one of my favorite types of story lines haha. I've just been so busy with college to update in the past. **


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